Can opener and server



Feb. 17; 1925. I 1,526,342

J. A. JONES 1 CAN OPENER AND SERVER Fi-led June 26, 1922 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII A 7 1 1o J A 4 5 awweflbofc John Jones 531 4W2. fl btmw I Patented Feb. 1?, 192a JOHN A. Jones, on unw roma, It. Y.

can ornnnn' Ann snnvnn.

Application filed June 26, 1922. Serial No. 571,074.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it kn own that 1, JOHN A. J ONES, a citizen oi the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county ofNew York and 5 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can Openers and Servers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in can openers and servers, and more particularly to a device of this class which is adapted to serye as a perforating'meansfor the can, as a protecting cover therefor, and as a dispenher of the liquid contents thereof.

1 The main object of the invention is to provide a can puncturing and serving deviceof Y extremely simple and effective character, which will be sanitary, sightly when in use, and capable of production and sale at a slight cost; such a device being especially desirable for use with cans containing liquid food products, such as condensed and evaporated milk, molasses, oil, etc. The device herein is adapted to serve as an opening orpuncturin means for the top of a can, thereg a pouring assage for the by provi liquid therein and an air In st for accelerating discharge, the device ordinarily remaining'on the can until the contents are fully 3 dis used, after which it maybe removed an used in like manner on another can.

' An important object of the invention is to provide a device as before described in which the puncturing members are tapered and .havepassages therethrough. Said puncturmg members may be of any efi'ective cutting contour, but as shown herein" are square m I cross section, instead pf being circular, as heretofore" made, and the piercing point, of 40 each is in the formof the apex of a pyramid. This type of puncturing member serves to pierce a clean hole in thecan, thishole when fully cut by downward pressure on the car- 1 V rying plate, conforming to the contour'of the upper portion of the cuttm member; this upper portion being tapere from the plate to the base of the pyramidal portion.

Because of the wedgingaction of this portion of such puncturm member between the yramidal portion-an the plate there is no- 7 leakage between the can and the server plate, and supplementary means, such as have heretofore been necessary for preventin such leakage will not ordinarily be require Another object of the invention is the pro .V1S10I1 of means for covering the pouring spout during use in order that the can and its contents may be kept in sanitary condition. A PIVQllBd' cover is provided for this purpose, and servesto shield the pouring spout at all times except when liquid is being I dispensed, and this cover may be moved aside from its covering position over the liquid vent when it is desired to clean the not hereinbefore referred to will be hereinafter described and claimed and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 isa perspective view of a referred form of the invention, in whic a simple circular plate has two depending integral puncturing members, each having a passage therethrough, one of said passages communicating with a fluid-pouring opening in the plate and the other with an air inlet therem. A movable cover for the fluid pourmg opening 1s als shown herein.

F1g. 2 1s a top lan View of the same, the .dotted line portion showing the closed position of. the movable cover.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line v 3"3, of Fig. 2.

.Fig. 4 1s a side view, on a reduoed'scale,

of a can holder embodying my opening and serving means. i-

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of the device, in which the puncturing members are carried by a; plate having pourmg openings therein, and in which a covering' plate of substantially the same area is superimposed thereu n and permanently attached thereto to'shield said pouring openings and increase the ri idity of the device.

Fig. 6 is a. top-plan v ew of the covering plate shown in Fig. 5.

Fig: 7 is a similar view'of the plate carrying the puncturing means of Fig. 5.

attached.

Similar characters designate like parts in allthe figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing. in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive I have shown one preferred form of the invention, in which all the parts, ex cept the cover for the pouring vent, may be cast or otherwise formed as a unitary article. The extreme effectiveness and simplicity of such a device will be apparent. In these views 2 designates a plate or disc, shown herein as conforming in diameter substantially to that of the head of a can of standard size and of sufficient thickness to be rigid under the pressure necessary for puncturing the can top. Formed integral with this plate 2 or rigidly attached thereto are the depending perforators 3 and 4, beveled or tapered at their lower ends in a well known manner to adapt them to pierce the can top. These perforators are shown herein as pyramidal, this being the preferred form. Passages in said perforators are designated by 5 and 6, and as shown in these figures the passage 5 is continued through the plate 2 to serve as a pouring vent for the contents of the can, while the passage 6 extends only through the perforating memberitsclf, an inlet passage for air being provided at 7 on the under side of the plate 2, though it will be understood that the opening 6 may extend through the plate in the same manner as the opening 5. ll hilc the plate 2 shown herein is flat, its central portion may be depressed to conform to the slight dip ordinarily found in a can top. It will be noted that the perforating members 3 and 4C are, as before stated, shown herein as pyramidal, instead of conical or cylindrical, and therefore are of square, instead of circular, cross section. This has been found of advantage in prevei'iting leakage between the can and its attached holder. lVhen puncturing members of circular cross section are used it may be necessary to providc means for preventing such leakage, especially if the piercing members are not tapered. At 8 l have shown a cover, pivoted at 9 and adapted to shield the pouring opening 5 in the plate at all times except when the server is having liquid poured therefrom. Said cover 8 may, as shown, have a flat under side adapted to move in frictional contact with the adjacent portion of the plate 2. 01 itmay have a raised portion adaptcv to c operate with the runway Leaaaee 5 to form a pouring channel for the fluid in the can. When it is desired to clean the device the cover 8 may be swung aside to uncover the pouring vent.

It will also be seen that the pouring passage 5 extending through the pyramidal puncturing means and the plate 2, while having a substantially vertical back wall, has a forwardly slanting front wall, a pouring spout of gradually increasing dimensions being thus formed. It Will also be seen that the lower portion of the puncturing members 3 and i is in the form of an inverted pyramid whose apex is the puncturing point, while the upper portions 3 and 4. between the base of the pyramid and the plate 2 have slight taper, as here shown suiiicient only to assure wedging of the members and prevention of leakage, though this taper may be much greater if desired.

In Fig.4; l have shown a handled holder for cans, having thereon my inuiroved opener and server. The body of the holder may be of any suitable form. though here shown as of metal tubing, and is provided with cars 18 adapted to cooperate with a lug 141 on the plate 2. The plate 2 thus forms a hinged top for the holder 12, and this holder is of suiiicient capacity to onclose a can of standard size, shown herein by dotted lines. The plate 2 and its puncturing means and a may be in all respects similar to corresponding parts in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, I have illustrated a modified form of the invention, in which the perforating members 3 and 4 are fixed to a comparatively thin metal plate having pouring and air-inlet openings therein at 5 and 6 and a depressed pouring runway 16. Superimposed upon the plate 15 is a covering plate 17 permanently secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by turning down and under flanges 18 to embrace the plate 15, as here illustrated. This cover plate 17 has a raised portion 19 adapted to cooperate with the runway 16 to form a pouring channel, and a similar raised portion 19' adapted to shield the air inlet 6. Besides serving as a protecting shield for the plate 15 and its pouring channel and fluid contents this cover plate 16 acts as a stiffening member to give the necessary rigidity to the device as a whole. The perforating members herein are shown as pyramidal at their lower ends, instead of conical or cylindricah'though either of thelatter forms may be used, and they taper from the plate to the pyramidal portion thereof.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 I have illustrated another modification of the invention. In forming this modified type. a sheet metal blank 20 is turned over on the line CD, and weakened portions thereof 21 and 22 are turned down to engage the main por- 24. A perforating device, carried by the lower member 2 k and preferably similar to the erforator 3 heretofore described, serves as t emeans for piercing the can top to provide a pouring opening. The same opener may e used to cut the air-inlet, or another similar opener may be employed. It will be seen that a pouring s out for liquids is secured by forming a epressed channel 25 in the under plate of the device and a cooperating raised channel 26 in the upper plate. The form shown in these figures is especiallyadapted for ventingand serving cans containing oil, etc.

Gan openers and servers as heretofore made have been more or less impractical, either because of complicated construction or prohibitive cost, and have not given general satisfaction nor come into common use. The device of applicant overcomes these defects and objections, it being simple and permitting manufacture at such a, low cost as to allow general use. It is effective to perforate. a can top by the employment of slightpressure of. the hands, whether the article he used alone or,in a canholder, and the perforations are clean-cut and conform to the contour of the wedging cutter, thus preventing any leakage between can and server. When in place on a can-it serves not only as a dispenser of the liquid therein, but also keeps thecontents of the can clean and in sanitary condition until all the liquid has been used, after which it may be transferred to another can for like service.

Though the device herein may be made of any suitable non-corrosive material, I have found it preferable to use aluminum,

.as this metal is comparatively inexpensive,

easily kept in a clean and sanitary condition,

is of light weight and attractive appearance,

and may be had in plates or cast in any required degree of hardness.

What I claim is: l

1. A can 'opener and server, embodying a coverin member provided with inverted pylrami al puncturing members one' of w ich has a passage therein communicating with a passa e-in the under side of said covering mem r.

2. A can opener and server, embodying a covering member, can perforating proections carried-thereby, a pouring passage in said plate and a perforating projection,

and an air-inlet at the under side of said plate and communicating with an air-passage in another perforating projection.

3. A canv o ener and server, embodying a covering p ate, can-perforating projections carried thereby, a pouring passage; through said" late and a perforating projection, mova le covering means for the pouring passage, and an air-inlet at the under side of the plate and communicating with an air-passage in another perforating projection.

4. A can opener and server, embodying a covering plate for the top of theoan and puncturing devices on the underside thereof, each ipuncturing device having sides made up 0 two plane faces intersecting at an angle, the lower plane faces .of ifi'erent sides intersecting to form a puncturin part and the upper plane faces of thedi erent sides forming awedging porti n, and a pas- JOHN A. JONES. 

